EFFector Vol. 21, No. 36  October 24, 2008  [email protected]

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
ISSN 1062-9424

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In our 488th issue:

* AS WE APPROACH THE END OF 2008, PLEASE CONSIDER BECOMING
A MEMBER OF EFF! For the past year, EFF has fought for your
digital rights on countless fronts -- from our tireless
commitment to stopping the warrantless wiretapping of
Americans, to investigating Comcast's packet forgery, to
defending free speech online, and more. Much of our funding
comes from individuals. With a small donation, you can make
a big difference in supporting the fight for your digital
rights.
http://secure.eff.org/friends2008

* LAST WEEK, EFF CHALLENGED THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL FISA
AMENDMENTS ACT (FAA) IN COURT, arguing that the FAA
violates the federal government's separation of powers as
established in the Constitution and robs innocent telecom
customers of their rights without due process of law. The
FAA allows for telecoms to receive legal immunity if the
government makes particular statements to the court, but
EFF's overwhelming evidence says that the government's
domestic spying is operating outside the bounds of the law
and cannot be swept under the rug.
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2008/10/17

* EFF CALLS ON FOUR TELEVISION NETWORKS TO STOP STIFLING
POLITICAL DEBATE ONLINE with overreaching copyright claims.
Both the McCain and Obama campaigns have had videos removed
from YouTube as a result of copyright demands. In an open
letter, EFF and other public interest groups challenge
copyright owners to respect this new form of political
speech being exercised by the campaigns and individual
Americans -- free speech built on the fair use of news
clips and other mainstream media.
http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2008/10/20

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EFF Updates

* Do You Need an Exemption from the DMCA?
The Copyright Office is gearing up to review the rules
related to the circumvention of digital rights management
(DRM) and other "access control" restrictions.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/10/do-you-need-exemption-dmca

* YouTube Responds to McCain Campaign's Letter
The McCain-Palin campaign complained to YouTube about DMCA
takedowns. Here's YouTube's response.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/10/youtube-responds-mccain-campaigns-letter

* Bush Signs Intellectual Property Enforcement Bill
Though the bill needlessly amplifies copyright enforcement,
Big Content failed to get everything it wanted.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/10/bush-signs-intellectual-property-enforcement-bill

* FCC Chair Supports Moving Forward on White Space Tech
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin seems ready to permit progress on
white space technologies after FCC researchers publish a
favorable report.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/10/fcc-chair-supports-moving-forward-white-space-tech

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miniLinks

~ Hollywood (Unintentionally) Agrees with EFF
The MPAA's response to an EFF blog post unwittingly
validates our point -- that the MPAA's legal attack on
RealDVD is about controlling innovation.
http://www.contentagenda.com/blog/1500000150/post/600035260.html

~ Record Label "Infringes" Own Copyright
A donation-based record label that distributes its music
for free had its site taken down for copyright
"infringement."
http://torrentfreak.com/record-label-infringes-own-copyright-site-pulled-081019/

~ Interim Spying Report Kept Secret
Why did the NSA mark a public report on wiretaps as
"classified" instead?
http://www.newsweek.com/id/165235/output/print

For more miniLinks:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/10/minilinks-2008-10-23

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Announcements

* DVDs.com Donates 100% of Profits for Remainder of 2008

For the rest of the year and into the holiday season,
online retailer DVDs.com has pledged to donate 100% of its
profits to EFF in support of our work protecting fair use
and fighting to end DRM! The owner of DVDs.com, Chris
Mettler, decided to go on the offensive on behalf of his
customers after finding himself unable to watch legally
purchased films as a result of restrictive region controls
and copy protection. EFF appreciates the support and
remains committed to fighting for users' digital rights.

If you plan to purchase films for yourself or others in the
next few months, please consider supporting EFF too:
http://dvds.com/#profits-donated-to-eff

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Administrivia

EFFector is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
 http://www.eff.org/about

Editor:
Richard Esguerra, EFF Activist
 [email protected]

Membership & donation queries:
 [email protected]

General EFF, legal, policy, or online resources queries:
 [email protected]

Back issues of EFFector are available at:
 http://www.eff.org/effector/

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